ESSENCE Summer Institutes & Seminars are two week intensive professional development sessions for K-12 teachers. Each session provides participants comprehensive introduction to topics, texts, and issues in African American Louisiana that form the core of ESSENCE's native-centered curriculum. Institute sessions are day-long (80 total credit hours); seminar sessions are half-a-day (40 total credit hours). Each session includes delivery of new content; large and small group discussion; and lesson plan development.
ESSENCE Professional Development Workshops take place during the academic year and are either day-long or half-a-day in length. The workshops are structured like institute and seminar sessions, with new native-centered content delivered and discussed and new lesson plans developed. Workshops may also serve as follow-ups to institutes and seminars, during which teachers refine existing lesson plans and troubleshoot implementation.
ESSENCE Summer and After-School Enrichment offers students of different backgrounds and skill levels the opportunity to explore native-centered content through guided instruction, applied learning activities, and field trips. The goal of enrichment is to strengthen students' critical thinking skills and knowledge of local culture, while encouraging them to see learning as a fun, identity-developing experience.
ESSENCE Assessments are the tools used to measure the knowledgebase, competency, and skills that students and teachers can be expected to demonstrate as a result of their participation in The ESSENCE Program. These tools include diagnostic exams, questionnaires, personal essays, and entrance & exit interviews.